subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotograph 51
LENS TEST TestbenchResolutionOurImageEngineeringMFTtestsmatchour
findingsfromreal-worldtesting.Thesolidredline
indicatesthelensis sharperatthecentrethanat
theedgebetweenf/1.8andf/8.Centresharpness
peaksbetweenf/4tof/5.6,withcornersharpness
continuingtoimproveastheapertureis stopped
downtof/8.Thebestsharpnessacrosstheframe
is achievedaroundf/5.6tof/8.Theintroductionof
diffraction beyond f/8 sees sharpness decline.85mm centre 85mm cornerNikkor Z85mm f/1.8 SShadingThelensdoesvignetteatf/1.8,butit’srather
tastefulandcanbeusedeffectivelytohelpdraw
viewers’eyesintotheheartofanimage.Stopping
downfromf/1.8tof/2.8seescornershadingreduce
andbyf/4it’suntraceable.ThosewhoshootJPEGs
canopttoremovecorner-shadingin-cameraor
retain it from the Vignette control options.85mm f/1.8 85 m m f/4SMIA TV = -0.1%TheZ 85mmf/1.8S is capableof producing
veryattractiveimageswhenpairedwith
Nikon’sZ-seriescameras.It hasa fairlylong
barrel,butthisallowsit tooffera large
controlringandprovidesplentyforyouto
restin yourpalmwhenit’sbeingused
handheld.Focusingis briskandparticularly
effectiveforportraiturewhenusedwithEye
DetectionAFthat’savailableforNikonZ 7/Z
6 camerasviathev2.0firmwareupdate.
Onethingthelensisn’tis a bargain.It may
havedroppedfrom£799to£709,butthis
is stilla lotforan85mmf/1.8.TheF-mount
AF-S85mmf/1.8G costs£384andcanbe
usedwithZ-seriescamerassuccessfullyvia
theFTZadapter(£269),presenting a hefty
savingforthosewho
alreadyowntheadapter.
Wemayseetheprice
dropif Nikondecides
toreleasea Z 85mm
f/1.2S, butat thetime
of reviewit feelsa tad
overpriced,evenif it
doesputin a stellar
opticalperformance
and is superbly made.Ve r d i c tStoppingthelensdownbeyondf/2.8eliminatesvignetting at the cornersNikon Z 7, 1/6400 at f/3.5, ISO 200
Price£709
Filterdiameter67mm
Lenselements 12
Groups 8
Apertureblades 9
Aperturef/1.8-f/16
Minimumfocus
distance80cm
Dimensions
75x99mm(DXL)
Weight470g
Lensmount
NikonZ-mount
Included
accessoriesLens
cap, lens hood (HB-91)Data fileresteasyin theknowledgeanyadjustments
toexposureorfocuswillbemade without
interruptingmoviefootage.
Imagequality
Togivethelensa goodworkout,I usedit on
everythingfromtheLondon-to-Brighton
veterancarrunanda localhillclimbtoa
professionalportraitshoot.It becamemygo-to
primeforcapturingflatteringportraitsand
eye-catchingdocumentaryimages.After
inspectingmyimagesonthecomputer,I found
theopticalquality,evenona demanding
high-resolutionmodelsuchastheNikonZ 7,
tobeveryimpressive.Althoughtheblurthat’s
createdbehindsubjectsat f/1.8isn’tasdreamy
asthatof anf/1.4orf/1.2primeof similarfocal
length,thequalityof thebokehis stillpleasing.
Thelensis at itssharpestwhenstopped
down.Closingtheaperturefromf/1.8tof/4or
f/5.6seessharpnessincreaserightacrossthe
frame,withthesweetspotlocatedat around
f/6.3.Edgesharpnesscatchesupwithcentre
sharpnessbyf/8,droppingoffthereafteras
diffractionstartstotakeitstoll.Basedonthis,
itsnosurprisethatNikonhasrestrictedthe
minimumaperturetof/16.
TheNikonZ 7, aswiththeZ 6 andZ 50,
embedslens-correctionprofilesforZ-mount
lensessuchasthe85mmf/1.8S intoitsraw
files.Theseareautomaticallyappliedby
softwaresuchasAdobeCameraRawand
Lightroomtokeepdistortion,chromatic
aberrationandvignettingin check.An
inspectionof imagesconfirmedchromatic
aberrationsarehandledeffectivelybythe
lensprofile andI couldn’ttraceanyoffensive
fringesof colouralonghigh-contrastedges.
Vignettingis lessenedtosomeextentbythe
embeddedlensprofile,butisn’tremoved
completely.Thecornershadingis gentleand
tastefulat wideapertures,soI seemostusers
embracingit ratherthanlookingtoremoveit.
Lastly,therewasnosignof anybowing or
distortion along straight lines.
RecommendedCurvilinear distortionShorttelephotoprimesareknowntohandle
distortionwellandthislensis asgoodanexample
asany.Ourdistortionchartandtestimagesreveal
thatbarrelandpincushiondistortionisn’tanissue,
withhorizontalandverticallinesbeingrendered
perfectly straight just as they should be.